Dual flush valve



March l2, 196,3 c. o. KING DUAL FLUSH VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2, 1961 L lnunrnnfnvlluntill!!inllltillllillulllilllinnllflllll, 0

C. O. KING DUAL FLUSH VALVE March l2, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2, 1961 States Unit@ This invention relates to flush tanks and more particularly to a water control or dual ush valve therefor. In rural districts, because of the absence of sewage systems, the contents of toilet bowls are flushed into septic tanks, frequently with much more water than is necessary. From time to time septic tanks must be pumped out. This requires considerable time, inconvenience and expense and would be needless if the water used in flushing the toilet could be controlled and minimized where only a limited amount of water was necessary, as when the toilet had merely been used for urination.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide an improved fiush valve to be used in conjunction with flush tanks for the conservation of water.

Another object of the invention is to provide an irnproved flush valve whereby only a small volume of water may be used if desired to flush the toilet with the result that ushing noise is greatly reduced.

Another important object of this invention is to provide an improved flush valve which selectively permits partial or substantially complete evacuation of water from its associated flush tank.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a flush valve of improved design which substantially eliminates valve leakage due to improper valve seating,

These and still further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the specification and claim taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section view thru a valve assembly according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a right elevation view of the valve lifting link;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view, partly broken, taken along line A-A of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a section view, partly broken, taken along line B-B of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view, partly broken, taken along line C--C of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional View taken along line D-D of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 7 is a vertical section view of a modified embodiment of the upper valve seat;

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal section view of the guide bracket;

FIGURE 9 is a section view taken along line G-G of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 10y is a horizontal elevation view of the valve actuator link connecting bolt;

FIGURE l1 is an exploded vertical section view of a modified embodiment of the bolt shown in FIG. 9.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, particularly FIG. l, there is shown a common flush valve actuator 12 pivotally connected to valve lifting link 15 as by bolt 13 and nut 14. Link 15 is pivotally connected at its opposite end as by cotter key 31, see FIG. 9, to a horizontally projecting shaft on guide rod 16. The guide rod 16 is in turn slidably received in supporting bracket 17 which is adjustably secured as by bolt 29 and nut Sti to the normal flush tank overflow pipe 13, see FIG. 8.

Secured at the lower end of guide rod 16 is an upper float 19 which is hemispherical in shape and which has a central elongated aperture therethru. Received within this aperture and threadably engaged in guide rod 16 is lift rod 22 which serves to firmly secure upper float 19 to guide rod 16 for movement therewith along with lift rod tet' I 3,080,567 Patented Mar. 12,1963

22. Lift rod 22 extends downwardly and is slidably connected to lower float 20 as will be hereinafter described.

Lower float 2t) is constructed of two spaced concentric cylinders sealingly connected at their upper and lower ends so as to form a float chamber therebetween. The inner cylinder is of less vertical height than the outer cylinder. The lower ends of the two cylinders are coplanar and are connected together by a horizontally disposed annular connecting element. The upper ends of the cylinder are connected together by a vertically extending, axially diverging, annular funnel shaped member.

Near the top of the outer cylinder and secured to the funnel shaped member is an upstanding circular flange which, in conjunction with the funnel shaped member, forms a seat for an O-ring or flat gasket 21. This gasket and seat may also be constructed with a V-shaped cross section as shown b-y gasket 27 in FIG. 7. At the lower end of float 2t) is secured an apertured disk shaped gasket 25.

Disposed and secured within the inner cylinder at its upper and lower ends are spiders 23 and 24, respectively. Spider 24 has a plurality of downwardly extending fingers which serve as a means to guide the float valve 26 into proper sealing engagement with a normal flush valve seat as shown in FIG. 1. Axially disposed in spider 23 and 24 and coaxial with the float valve 2f) arev apertures thru which extends lift rod 22, rod 22 being of suflicient length to project below the spider 24 and being threaded 4at its lower end, whereby nuts 26 may be secured thereon to form a slide stop.

The device as described may be installed in a common flush tank, having an overow pipe and a valve seat, with the guide fingers of spider 24 extending into said valve seat and gasket 25 resting in sealing engagement thereon, Upper float 19 in turn rests in sealing engagement on gasket 21. Guide bracket 7 is secured to the overflow pipe and lifting link 15 is attached, as described, to the valve actuator 12.

The device operates as follows: Initial upward movement of valve actuator 12 serves to raise upper float 19 off lower float 20 allowing a minimum amount of flush water to enter the toilet bowl. lf additional flush water is desired, continued upward movement of actuator 12 serves to raise lift rod 22 until slide stop 25 engages spider 24. After which upward movement is transmitted to the lower float 20 raising it off the tank valve seat allowing the remaining and major portion of the flush water to enter the toilet bowl. Release of the actuator 12 and discharge of the flush water will allow float 2t) to return to sealing engagement with the valve seat guided by the fingers of spider 24. Upper float 19 will also return to sealing engagement with gasket 21 guided by lift rod 22 sliding in the axial apertures of spiders 23 and 24.

Thus has been described a novel flush valve constructed according to this invention. It is evident therefrom that the objects of this invention together with many practical advantages are successfully achieved.

What is claimed is:

A flush valve for a toilet having a tank with a bottom, a drain fitting extending thru said bottom, an overflow pipe connected to said drain fitting and a valve seat at the inner end of said drain fitting comprising, in co-mbination, a lower float member having a vertically disposed outer cylindrical shell and a vertically disposed inner cylindrical shell coaxial with and of a lesser height than said outer shell and having its lower end disposed in the same plane as said outer shell, said inner and outer shells being sealingly joined at their lower ends by a horizontally disposed annular connecting member and their upper ends being joined by a vertically extending, axially diverging, annular funnel shaped connecting member so as to form a float chamber therebetween; a circular, upstanding flange Qnsaidjunnel shaped member forming therewith a -gasket seat; a circular gasket mounted in said gasket seat; a spider guide member mounted within and at the upper end ,of vl said inner shell; a Vseeond spider guide V member mounted `within lvand at the lower .end of saidinner shell,

said .second spider .guide member v having a plurality of sealingfengasement on said'circular gasket' a lift trod Slidably engaging said spider-guide members, having a stop member at lits Alower -end .and its upper. end extending ,thr'u fsaideaperture inisaid .uppenoat member andsecured toa guide rod; said guide rod being slidably mounted for vertical move-ment in a guide bracket, said bracket being adjustably secured to the overflow pipe and means connected to said guide rod to vertically move same, whereby initial vertical movement of ysaid guide rod lifts said upper oat member from `engagement ,withsaid lower tloat member and further vertical movement of said guide rod thru the -medium of said lift rod and Asaid stop member lifts said lower oat member-fromengagement-with the valve seat. 

